Pages

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Name Dropping 101 ; A Rocket To The Moon

Listen & Love.
You can't do one without the other.

>>I realized that I never did a formal post about Rocket, and that really bothered me. So, here goes nothing I guess.

>Pretty much anyone who knows me is aware of my obsession with A Rocket to The Moon, a band I found in May of 2008. Unfortunately, few people are familiar with their music, only having heard of them through my rambling on and on about them anyway. The band is fronted by Nick Santino, who is probably one of the most talented people I’ve come across in a long time. His lyrics are genuine, and you seriously can’t help but smile when you hear his voice. If you’re a guy reading this, you’re probably thinking something along the lines of, “Yeah okay, nice try.” But I know from experience that even if you think A Rocket To The Moon sounds lame, or something idiotic like that, Even if you’re determined to not like the music, you won’t be able to help yourself. His music has evolved over the years, and it just keeps getting better. When I first heard Rocket, it was live at the Bamboozle Festival on May 3rd of 08. I had never heard of them before, but I immediately fell in love with their sound. The songs I first heard were from the Summer 07 EP, currently available on iTunes. This EP shows the acoustic side of Rocket mixed with a slightly electronic vibe that just makes the whole thing fall into place. If you’re planning on looking into it, I would suggest “Fear of Flying”, “Not A Second To Waste”, “I Think About You Everyday”, and “Are You Catching My Drift Yet?”. The first two are wholly acoustic, and the second two have those little extra effects that enhance the songs.

Sensing my desire for new music, Rocket released the Greetings From… EP in October of 08.I bought it when I saw them live again that month (11 days after the release), and that’s when I actually met Nick. He is so much fun to be around, and he lives life to the fullest. He’s really a genuinely amazing person, and it shows in his music.The newer stuff is much different than anything before it, but it still has those Rocket qualities I love, meaning it’s still incredible. The songs have more of a studio-quality sound, AKA they’re more refined and it’s not just Nick on the tracks. Essentially, Greetings From… makes them sound like a real band, which they really have been from the start. My favorites from this EP, as hard as it is to choose, would have to be “If Only They Knew”, “Dakota”, and “Just Another One.” Also, they re-did “Fear of Flying” from the Summer 07 EP, and it’s just as amazing as the original. I don’t think I can say that one version is better than the other, so you be the judge on that one. Over the years, A Rocket To The Moon has been described as ‘Powerpop’, ‘Electronica’, and the like, but personally I would just go with incredibly addicting. Don’t take my word for it, go look them up. You won’t be disappointed; Nobody I’ve recommended them to has been so far.